Chapter 38: Force Nodes
Kaiser leaned back into his chair, staring at the message displayed on the screen of his phone.
|Iruca Sanders: Can you please give me some time to discuss this with my classmates?|
He hummed, then sent a simple ’okay’. He was satisfied with her attitude since she didn’t ask him how he got it. She was even smart enough to realize the advantages of possessing those cameras.
He checked Class-C’s live feed, then noticed that the class was empty. Pursing his lips, he opened Austin’s chat log and sent a message.
|Sherlock Holmes: Hello there, Class-C. I have an interesting offer for you. Buy the security cameras in your classroom at a price of 1.2 million credits, for three weeks.|
He didn’t bother mingling words with that African guy. From what he understood, Austin was a sharp and principled guy. He would definitely understand how important the offer was, at a glance.
Opening, Adela’s chat log, he only sent a simple message.
|Sherlock Holmes: You sure have a way of treating your classmates as pawns.|
Adela wasn’t someone easy to deal with. To be able to catch her attention, he had to immediately prove that he was a smart person and not just some random wannabe, playing mysterious.
With that, he closed his chats, then checked the file Instructor Rina had sent to every of her students.
[Creation of Force Nodes]
He took his time and carefully read through, ensuring he didn’t miss a single detail. Although he had learnt how to create Nodes back in the clan, there was no harm going through another source.
After he finished reading Instructor Rina’s file, he understood that while it was detailed, it wasn’t as advanced as the one in his clan.
’Well, the chairman already admitted it. This academy is only a school compared to my clan.’
Sitting cross-legged on his bed, he calmed his nerves until every part of his body was at rest. Then, he began the process.
The first step was to create two Force Nodes in the shoulders, which would aid the use of elements in the arms. Closing his eyes, he visualized a string of darkness escape from his Crystal Core, which was located in his heart, then let it slither to his left shoulder.
’Control it, condense it.’
He then guided the wisp of darkness to form a small ball which slowly became realistic and merged with his body. The process was painfully slow and required maximum focus, lest the wisp disperse.
After an hour, the process was completed, and he could sense the Darkness Node in his left shoulder.
Wiping the sweat off his forehead, he raised his left hand, and conjured a ball of darkness.
The space above his palm darkened, and he saw wisps of black energy quickly coalesce into a large ball of darkness element.
"Hmm... not bad."
He nodded, then proceeded to touch it. His hand easily passed through. However, he felt a chilling coldness as soon as he touched it, which made him raise a brow.
"I still don’t know its offensive abilities yet..."
He muttered, then let the ball disperse. That was a concern for later. Perhaps after creating all the needed Force Nodes, he’d learn the corresponding Force Arts.
He allowed his muscles to relax, then began to create the second Node in his right shoulder. Having gotten used to the process, he finished in under fifty minutes, successfully completing Instructor Rina’s assignment.
He collapsed onto the bed, drenched in sweat.
"Good grief... I didn’t know it could be this tiring..."
He allowed himself to relax for a few minutes, then went to take a quick shower. There were still assignments from other subjects he still had to do.
...
Meanwhile, Hazel and Ariel were seated at the Killian Cafe, with cups of coffee before them. When classes ended, Ariel had been preparing to go to his room as usual when Hazel suddenly approached him, and offered a visit to the coffee shop. Although he was suspicious, Ariel complied and followed her.
He calmly took a sip, closed his eyes, then set down the cup. His movement was refined and graceful, like a noble lady.
’He’s not a girl. Remember that.’
Hazel tactically reminded herself, then spoke.
"What is your stance on the information shared in the morning?"
Ariel paused, his expression still serene. He turned to her, then answered.
"Nothing in particular."
Hazel’s sharp brows furrowed, "You don’t care? You were placed in the worst class."
Ariel remained calm. "No, I don’t. I have no particular drive towards Class-A."
The black-haired girl frowned, "So you’re not interested in joining any Guild of your choice? You’re really something else."
Ariel didn’t answer. Instead, he drank the remaining coffee in one go, then stood up.
"Not yet." Hazel’s icy tone made him sigh, and he sat down. Since she had paid for the coffee, he was willing to humor her.
"What would it take to get your assistance?" She asked seriously.
"My assistance?" Ariel raised a brow, slightly astonished. "Why do you think I can help? I’m not particularly excellent at academics, and my fighting skills are just average."
Hearing that remark, Hazel glared at him with a sneer. "Not excellent at academics? Drop the act, Ariel. You can’t fool me. And your performance during the combat evaluation by Instructor Natusalene is enough proof that you’re good."
Ariel was surprised, then fell into contemplation. He quietly wondered how she had deduced that he was lying. Finally, his mind zeroed in on his entrance tests and his deliberate actions to appear average. It seemed that had backfired.
Ordering another cup of coffee, he sighed. "So you’ve spoken with Instructor Rina, huh?"
Hazel didn’t deny it, though she was a bit surprised by the quick deduction. This further reinforced her determination to win him over.
Seeing that she wasn’t denying it, he narrowed his eyes.
"You want my help in rising to Class-A. However, I don’t have any interest in doing so. I just want to live a normal school life without worries."
Hazel’s face instantly turned cold. "You want to be in Class-E and slack off? Pathetic."
Then, she offered a cold smile. "What do you think everyone’s reaction would be when they realize there’s an absurdly smart boy who can control his scores perfectly, but refuses to help his class? I’m sure you’ll live a normal school life without worries, right?"